Tabasco Sauce & Avery Island

Right as we arrive in Lafayette we see a billboard for Avery Island Tours, the home of Tabasco!  In all of our research somehow we missed this, most likely because we focused on crawfish.  

We get up early and head out to Avery Island, a nice easy ride along a river.  We keep looking for alligators but no such luck.    Arriving at Avery Island, you pay a $1.00 toll and the visitor center is immediately on the left.   As soon as we turn we're navigating the most challenging gravel road and we're engulfed in the wonderful smell of Tabasco.   

The tour is free and we spend about an hour touring the factory and learning lots of cool things about Tabasco. The peppers are grown mostly in in South and Central America and a few are still grown on the Island. However, every bottle of Tabasco is manufactured on site and the mash is made there too.  Mash is peppers, vinegar and salt mixed together and then fermented for 3 years in Jack Daniels barrels.  Who knew that Tabasco was so complicated!

We had the opportunity to see green Tabasco and red being bottled. We also each received 4 mini bottles of Tabasco sauce.  Perfect for packing on the bike.  Tabasco packages sauce in hundreds of languages and ships it all across the country.  

In the museum we find a printing block from the 1950's used for advertising and a poster suggesting that Tabasco would make Italian food taste better.  Mmmm... I'm not sure about that and I'm not sure if Italians would agree.  

After the tour we headed over to the gift shop  for the tasting station.  There was lots of stuff to try!  Along with mustard, bbq sauce, jellies and salsas.  They also have chipolte  raspberry ice cream, jalapeno  vanilla ice cream, Tabasco soda and good ol'fashioned chili.  They even had hot & spicy SPAM - no free samples of this.  Randy was a little disappointed.  We tried everything and settled on a bottle of the Tabasco Reserve which you can only get on Avery Island. Tastes better than basic Tabasco or Habanero Tabasco.    

We thoroughly enjoyed visiting Avery Island and taking the tour.  The ride there was great and I believe the ride around the island would have been wonderful - we just were running out of time. Completely worth the stop and a great surprise!

Louisiana Crawfish

In planning this trip all Randy was excited to eat crawfish in Louisiana.  Crawfish are like small lobsters, however, lobsters live in salt water and crawfish or crayfish are fresh water.  The south is famous for Crawfish boils and everywhere we ride the roads are populated with signs advertising fresh crawfish from upscale restaurants to literally, out of someones garage.  I'm not kidding, you can buy live or cooked crawfish anywhere.  Crawfish festivals are abundant and all you can eat crawfish is the norm.  

We arrive in Lafayette, LA and after driving past lots of "crawfish boil" signs, we debate about where to go.  In Lafayette, we have lots of choices from historic tourist spots, nice restaurants to dive bars. We cruise around and finally decide on John E's Sports Bar & Grill.  It has a nice patio, with an outdoor firepit and a drive through.





It turns out to be a great choice.  Randy orders 5 pounds of crawfish and he's giddy when they arrive.  He slowly tears them apart finding the yummy tail.  We understand that they best part is the head, but he bypasses that.  I have one- but it looks like too much work to eat so I settle for the crawfish  etouffee  (delicious).  His crawfish is just spicy enough for him and he's so happy!

After dinner the cook comes out to see how we like it - he's wearing a crazy hat with crawfish and alligators on it.  He introduces himself as Captain Tony, Bayou Swamp Tour Guide and invites us to join him on one of us tours.  He's a cook by night and a tour guide by day.  He gave us his card and maybe next time through Louisana, we'll take one his tours.  He cooks a mean crawfish, so he's probably a great guide too.  Next time we're in Lafayette, we're going to look up Captain Tony!

Texas is a HUGE state!

The ride to San Antonio, albeit long, was uneventful.  Cold, wind and dust continues to follow us and at least the sun is shining. There were several areas that are pretty, with wide sweeping curves and no trucks or cars.  The highway hugs the Mexico border and we start to see more Border Patrol activity.  As we get closer to Del Rio, the Patrols increase and we see them on ATV's and in their cars.  As we ride, we have great vistas of the Rio Grande and of Lake Amistad Reservoir.  The Reservoir is divided by the US/Mexico border and with all the patrol activity we decide not to stop and take pictures.  The Rio Grande and the Pecos River are gorgeous. 

We arrive in Del Rio, gas up and grab some lunch.  Since we're in a border town, I suggest that we find a taco stand and for a quick bite.  The only Mexican food we find are full-service sit down restaurants.  We pass Manuel's, which is supposed to be the best, but we don't want to take the time for a long lunch.  

Randy decides on the Golden Chick...why you ask?  The sign also boasts that you can get gizzards!

Randy doesn't even order gizzards because you have to order by the pound!  He ends up with a regular chicken dinner and I order a salad with chicken tenders, which is actually good. They also serve unsweetened ice tea by the gallon, another plus and I will agree with him on this.  My mom, Peggy would love this place just for the ice tea.  

Lunch turned out OK considering we're in a border town, eating fried chicken.  Randy says to let everyone know that the place was packed and we were the only English speaking people there.  So next time you're in Del Rio, pass up all the Mexican restaurants and take Randy's advice and go to the Golden Chick and be sure tell them.. Randy sent you. 

Rattlesnakes & Rednecks

One of the best highlights in Del Rio was at the gas station.  A truck pulls up with guys who've been out fishing and hunting.  They're really disappointed because they caught a rattlesnake and were going to have it for lunch.  Unfortunately, the ice in the cooler melted, the rattler spoiled and they were at the gas station to toss it.  They were so bummed to miss their rattlesnake lunch and to think, I was bummed about eating chicken for lunch.  Iknow, you're all thinking "rattlesnake, taste like chicken". Randy wants to pull the snake out of the garbage can for a photo - I tell him NO.  At that point, I realize that I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore and I'm not even from Kansas!

Next Stop...San Antonio

After the crazy traffic in San Antonio, we land at our hotel and enjoy a dip in the pool and the hot tub.  Weather is perfect; sunny and warm. We head out to the Riverwalk in search of a margarita and Mexican food.  

Success on the margarita not so on the Mexican food.   We did find a few fun bars and enjoyed a couple of tasty beverages.  For a late night snack we landed at an Irish Pub.  Yes, I'm in Texas in search of TexMex or Mexican but the Irish prevail.  Randy has fish & chips and I  enjoy smoked salmon.  Next we're going to Ireland in search of Mexican 

We head out early in the morning in search of Louisana Crawfish.  First we stop off at the Alamo Harley Davidson, to check out Randy's bike.  Everything was fine with his bike and we took a few pictures.

Somehow we missed the real Alamo but found a replica that worked ok for us.

 I also found the twin to my bike!  In the two years since I bought my bike, I haven't seen another Softail CVO on the road.  

The ride through Houston was uneventful full of crazy traffic.  They say Utah drivers are bad but I'm here to tell you so are Texans!  Houston does have an amazing HOV lane - it was the BEST lane we've ridden in.  It's completely separate from all other traffic and we didn't have to pay a toll.  Nice! 

We're happy to get out of Texas. They say everything is bigger in Texas and the geography of Texas is HUGE!! It took us 3 days to ride through that state, mostly in wind and dust.  There were a few highlights and lots of gorgeous desert. We're going back at the end of May and the only reason we're glad to go back is to see friends in Dallas and Austin.  

Right now... Louisana is calling and we're excited about crawfish and New Orleans!

Texas... the start of the BIG crossing!

Today, (Tuesday, May 6) is our down day and we're in Apalachicola, Florida giving ourselves a well deserved break.  Later, we're going out for a ride on the beach and to check out the town.  For now, I'm catching up on laundry and writing.  So here's our update on Texas.

LAS CRUCES

On Monday, April 29, we stayed in Las Cruces, NM was uneventful.  We pulled into town and immediately stopped at the Barnett's HD to get on oil change on my bike.  Nice dealership and huge with great bargains however we left with a cargo net and an oil change - not very exciting.  

Dinner was at High Desert Brewery a local microbrewery that brews beer just for the restaurant - it was a happening place full of students, locals and a few travelers.  Las Cruces was exciting though, cause I hit 10,000 miles on my bike, a huge milestone for me.  

TEXAS.... THE START OF THE BIG RIDE

Early in the morning we headed out, excited because our final stop for the day was Marathon, Texas and the Gage Hotel who advertises, Prickly Pear Margaritas.  So I know the end of my day will be tasty.

We cruised through El Paso in crazy traffic.  We found it surreal, with bustling El Paso to the left of the freeway, complete with strip malls, WallMarts, a college and lots of financial high rise buildings.  To the right of the freeway is Juarez, Mexico a complete contrast.  What we saw was dilapidated houses that are made from trailers, corrugated steel, shipping containers, wood and maybe even cardboard.  There are a few houses that look like regular houses but from my viewpoint, not many.  I couldn't take a picture, so here's one from the internet to give you an idea.  There are a few businesses, perhaps a restaurant or gas station but not much else.  

After El Paso we took a break near Fort Hancock, and found a chile store and Angies, the home of Chicken Fried Steak.  For those that may not know this...Randy LOVES chicken fried steak and he eats it often on the road.  Send pictures to his road buddies!  It's a long running joke.  Randy visited with the owner, who said that her grandmother invented it - nice to think we found the place it was invented!

We'd already had breakfast and it was too early for lunch so perhaps we'll ride back through Fort Hancock just to eat at Angies.   

The other thing that I think is cool is this sign - they are all over Texas.  Thanks Texas for looking out for bikers --- SHARE THE ROAD!

We wind our way through lots of small towns, mostly abandoned and find ourselves in Marfa while we're cruising through, we make a u-turn to tour the town because an old building caught our eye.  

This is the County Building built in the late 1800's - Marfa was founded in 1880.  Old historic buildings, beautiful architecture and a town that is alive and well.  The Palace Theater was the place for films and now an artist uses it as his studio. 

 We also find an historic hotel, called Hotel Paisano  and it was the home to the stars who filmed "Giant" in the 1950's.  It's still used and is beautiful.

After so many abandoned towns, this is a wonderful surprise. Marfa even has a Prada!  I didn't take this photo, but saw this on the way out of town. Prada Marfa is a permanently installed sculpture by artists Elmgreen and Dragset.  Cool!

In Alpine, Texas ready for lunch and excited because we're going to visit Big Bend Brewery to eat.  What we find though is better than food!  I'm going to post a separate blog about the Brewery - it was remarkable and so good that we're thinking of moving to Alpine and work for Big Bend!  (just kidding, Linda & Peggy ...our moms) 

next stop...MARATHON, TEXAS & THE GAGE HOTEL

This is the oasis we've been waiting to see.  The Gage Hotel is a historic hotel that has been restored and is beautiful.  Everything is desert, Texan and comfortable chic rustic. It's a surprise in a town of only 500 people but it's at the gateway to Big Bend National Park the largest national park in the continental US.  

We head right to the White Buffalo Bar for my long awaited Prickly Pear Margarita - truly the best margarita that I've ever had! (besides my own, of course)  We learn that it's made from Prickly Pear Puree that you have to order out of California from a company called Perfect Puree.   It arrives frozen and on dry ice.  The company also makes lots of other fruit flavors like blood orange, passion fruit, and the basics like strawberry and apple.  I wish we could find this in Utah and I'm going to see if I can get Harmons to get it for me.  If I do ....Prickly Pear Margaritas (both alcoholic and non) at my house!

We meet a few Harley boys from Texas and from the Netherlands and have lots of great conversation about rides and Texas.  I convince all the boys to order the "pink" drink and they're surprised to enjoy a girly looking beverage. This is one of the best parts about riding Harleys, the people you meet on the road.  Good times and making new friends. 

We have dinner at the bar - it's the only restaurant in town that is open. While there, we're disappointed to learn that Big Bend National Park is still 75 miles away and we can't make it to the Park and to San Antonio in one day.  We haven't figured our mileage too well and Texas is a huge state!  Too many miles and not enough hours in the day.  Disappointing at best but perhaps on the way back will cruise to the Gage Hotel again and take time to see Big Bend...the reason we went that way!

Next stop... Riverwalk, San Antonio!

Bisbee, Arizona

On Monday, April 28, after Tombstone we cruised the short ride to Bisbee, AZ a cool western town that seems to be thriving.

Finding breakfast was a little challenging and we were surprised to find 2 small restaurants open, all featuring vegan and vegetarian options as their specialty.  There were a few crystal type shops and the town seemed mystical.  Not what we expected in a western town.  Randy wanted to ask the maintenance workers if they had a suggestion for food, as he figured the locals would know where to go.  What he didn't notice is that the workers were wearing bright fluorescent orange jumpsuits with the letters "ADC" stamped on the back.  I suggested that the inmates from the Arizona Department of Corrections might not be the best for restaurant suggestions. :) We did find the bustling Bisbee Coffee Roasters open, but we passed opting for food instead of coffee.  Smelled great.

About 1/2 mile away, we discovered, Lowell, AZ  and the Bisbee Breakfast Club, BBC.  This by far has been the best breakfast we've found on the road.  It's a fairly large diner that serves home made breakfast and lunch and had huge menu making it hard to decide what to eat.  Great coffee  and huge biscuits that were the size of a salad plate!   It's right next door to  the Bisbee copper mine.  Huge mine, still is a lot smaller than Kennicott.  It's a posted "scenic view point".

Lowell is a one street abandoned town lined with modern cars, vintage cars and lots of motorcycles and we proceeded to explore.  Down from the BBC was a huge Harley Repair sign - we ventured into it thinking it was a dealership only to discover an old repair shop repairing bikes.  Hanging from the ceiling was hundreds of bike parts and I mean hundreds.  I should have taken a picture inside.

Across the street from the shop, was a display of vintage Harleys and Indians.  The only "real" businesses was the BBC and a gym.  There was a display of the worlds fastest Indian and a memorial  about Samantha Morgan - I posted a picture below.  Female rider inspiration to keep me going! 

Lowell is where we ran into the Biker Patrol, quite the surprise to find in this sleepy, abandoned small town.   

Odd town, the guy in the repair shop said that Bisbee was a "hippy" town at one point and now about 70% of the areas residents are on assistance.   He was a great tour guide though, he sent us off on a gorgeous backroad to Rodeo, NM.  Nice rolling hills, and beautiful desert.  At the end of the road we ended up back on Interstate 8 and more wind, dust and flat desert.  Next stop...Las Cruces, NM.

San Diego to Tombstone

On Sunday, April 27, we leave La Mesa and head up HWY 94 winding through a fabulous valley right on the border of .   We are guided by Boyd and Kim Richardson, our San Diego hosts.  We ride through Jamul, then right along the border near Tecate and then through Campo.  The ride is gorgeous with sweeping turns and wide open spaces.  Homes range from simple and rural farms  to megamansions. We ride right next to the Mexico border and Kim, points out the Border Control fence.  It's rusty red and must be at least 20 feet high and goes on for miles.  There's a road below it and along our ride we see several white and green US Border Patrol vehicles. It's odd seeing the fence in it the hillside.  I didn't take a photo and I've posted one from the Internet to give you an idea of what it looks like.  

We ride for about an hour and it is really cold!  We arrive at the Golden Acorn Casino, in Campo, California and we're frozen.  We need HOT coffee and we need it fast.  We have a yummy breakfast and unfortunately, must go our separate ways.  It was fun to hang out with Kim and Boyd and we look forward to more adventures with them.  We should have taken a picture all together but we didn't!  Here's a great photo of Boyd and Kim and she looks really cute in her helmet!

Leaving the Casino, we pop on HWY 8 East and we dropped from the high elevation to the desert floor we went through a huge boulder field which in it's own way was quite beautiful.  

After leaving California, perhaps in Arizona, we went through our first Border Check Point and saw lots of US Border Patrol Officers.  They are everywhere. 

Dateland

Upon Boyd's recommendation we stopped at the famous "Dateland" for a date shake.  We decided to go against convention and had date ice cream instead.  Interesting, tastes a little like chocolate and strawberry mixed together.  Date shakes were quite the hit with many people in line.  Date trees are beautiful and they also sold dates stuffed with walnuts.  Reminded me of my Grandma Holmes because she always made these.

They also cater to pets with outdoor kennels with water and misters to keep the pups cool in the hot Arizona sun.  We thought it was cool.

Tombstone AKA Helldorado 

The ride to Tombstone was long, boring, windy and cold. We arrive in Tombstone before sundown with anticipation of a gun fight at the OK Corral and Wyatt Earp's ghost.  What we found was a ghost town - not a real ghost town, but a town that truly rolls up their sidewalks.  Everything was closed.

We stayed at the Trail Riders Inn a cute motel that was in so-so shape but the pool and hot tub are nice.  The hot tub is called the "Tiki Love Shack"  doesn't quite fit the western theme but it's cute.  I thought the motel was ok until the next morning when I discovered a 3" cockroach in our room. EEK!!!!!

  

After a quick dip we ventured out into the town for some vittles and a brew.  That's when we discovered that Tombstone closes up at dark!  Everything is closed and there's no lights making the town feel creepy.  We found the only town bar that was open (you knew we would) and ordered an Amber Bock (other choices were Bud, Bud Light & Coors) and pondered the extensive menu of hot dogs, burgers, chilli and lots of fried veggies.  We decided to go vegetarian and ordered fried mushrooms, zucchini and onion rings. The bars's name is Vogan's  which is similar to Vegan so we ate healthy...right? 

Vogan's was founded in 1879 as a Saloon and Bowling Alley.  The nicest part of Tombstone was meeting Felina, our bartender.  She's a  fifth generation Tombstone native and had just moved back to Tombstone.  She had great stories about her great-great-great grandfather Clanton who owned the cemetery and donated to the city as long as his entire family could be buried there forever.   Amazing to have such a history tied to Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the Clanton family.  Google them... interesting. 

Tombstone was disappointing at best. Luckily we found Felina & Vogan's and ended up having a good time. However,  a town that boasts the name 'Helldorado" doesn't have the right to say that when they close restaurants and saloons at 8:00 pm.  

A gunfighter in town after a hot ride can't even get a sasparilla in notorious Tombstone AKA  Helldorado!

Pacific Ocean...the start of the journey

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Randy and I are so excited to be at the Pacific Ocean on a gorgeous California day.  It's sunny, warm and the beach is amazing.  Saturday begins our coast to coast journey!  We're full of anticipation because over the next few weeks our lives will evolve in a way that we can't  predict.  Even though we've been on the road for a couple of days,  the ever changing ocean  is the perfect start to our adventure.